It's Time for Photographers to Start Thinking Like an Agency Instead of a Vendor

In fact, it is past time. I did it 30 years ago, and it saved my creative life.

Occasionally, I felt like a lonely driver on a desolate road when I was building my agency. But then, that’s where all the beauty is, so I never complained. Photo by the author.

We gotta change our self-limiting ways, folks.

When I stopped shooting for ad agencies in the early 80s, I did it with deliberate reasons based on three facts:

1. Fighting them to get paid sucked the suck out of suck

2. Waiting 60–90 days to get paid also sucked

3. Busting my ass only to see my images fubar’d by someone who shouldn’t have been wielding an exacto knife and rubber cement made me have the sadz.

So I said FkIt and started my own “agency”.

If I needed design, I found a designer.
If I needed copy written, I found a copyrighter.
If the client needed an illustration, I found an illustrator.

I didn’t think of myself as an agency at the time, but I was essentially providing the visual and collateral services an agency provided without the 18% markup that was typical.

I also didn’t do placement, but, you guessed it, I found someone who would.

It was just me out there, hustling clients to get the photography and offering those additional solutions for additional revenue.

At one point, I started hustling to get design work so that I could offer photography as a second source of income.

Eventually, I grew from a one-person company to the third-largest ad agency in Arizona, but that is another story for another time.

I had to fight the innate belief that being a generalist was not as cool as being a specialist. We hear this all the time: specialize, specialize, specialize.

And I have always found that to be mostly bullshit.

People are capable of more than one thing, and we were in the latter part of the 20th century, so it was about time to realize that artists could indeed cross genres.

Prince played two dozen instruments, was a master producer, a fantastic marketer, and an iconic performer. Specialize?

Sammy Davis played drums, vibes, piano, and bass, a dancer, actor, writer, and comedian. And damned good at every one of those things. Specialize?

Gordon Parks was an acclaimed photojournalist, writer, screenwriter, film director, and orchestral composer. Specialize?

Brian May: Rock guitarist for Queen, singer, astrophysicist, and author. Specialist?

The concept of specialization, particularly in the context of careers and professions - has evolved over time, influenced by various historical, economic, and social factors.

A Historical Perspective on Specialization

1. Industrial Revolution: The idea of specialization gained significant momentum during the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th and 19th centuries. This period marked a shift from manual labor and artisanal crafts to machine-based manufacturing, where specialized skills were needed to operate machinery and perform specific tasks efficiently. We needed to teach ordinary people to be extraordinary in one single endeavor so that industry wouldn’t implode under shoddy work. Specialists were sort of a Superman approach.

2. Adam Smith's Influence: The economist Adam Smith, in his 1776 work "The Wealth of Nations," advocated for the division of labor and specialization as a means to increase productivity and economic efficiency. His ideas greatly influenced industrial practices and economic theories and have reverberated through business for many decades.

3. Educational Systems: As industrialization progressed, educational systems began to emphasize specialized training to prepare individuals for specific roles in the workforce, reinforcing the concept of specialization. This specialized training approach is also a cash cow for universities and trade schools that count on narrow focus and the ability to upsell additional "specializations’.

The Current Trend Towards Generalization

1. Technology and Innovation: The rapid pace of technological change and innovation in the 21st century has highlighted the value of adaptability and a broad skill set. Generalists, with their diverse skills and perspectives, are often better equipped to innovate and adapt to new challenges. As AI keeps growing into the business landscape, the first to be gobbled will be the specialists. AI can do any specialty faster and cheaper. However, AI cannot compete with human creativity as it spreads across genres and disciplines. Not yet, anyway.

2. The Gig Economy and Freelancing: The rise of the gig economy and freelancing has also encouraged a more generalist approach. Individuals often need a range of skills to manage diverse projects and adapt to different roles. I have a friend who maintains a mid-six-figure business using freelance workers from Fiverr and Freelancer.com. One of my photographers, Jennifer, is busy conceiving, art directing, and photographing work from several large brands.

3. Interdisciplinary Approaches: Many fields now recognize the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, where a combination of diverse skills and knowledge can lead to more innovative solutions. I write music on a computer, output it to a computer, and use several pieces of software to do it. I photograph on a digital camera, make 360-degree videos, and assemble them into presentations to be done through various media.

Is Now the Time to Abandon Specialization?

• Balance is Key: Rather than completely abandoning specialization, the current trend suggests a balance between specialized expertise and generalist skills. This hybrid approach allows individuals to have deep knowledge in one area while maintaining a broad understanding of other fields. It has been referred to as a “Talent Stack” and the concept is being expanded everywhere you look.

• Context-Dependent: The decision between specialization and generalization also depends on the industry, profession, and your own individual goals. Some fields may still benefit greatly from deep specialization, while others thrive on generalist capabilities. Art, graphic and digital design, photography, writing, and motion visuals thrive on talent with a strong ‘stack’.

• Lifelong Learning: The modern workforce increasingly values lifelong learning, where individuals continuously acquire new skills and knowledge, blending specialization with generalization. Specialists are too narrowly focused to be competitive with those who are ever-expanding their skill sets and qualifications.

This is why I believe that photographers need to think of themselves more as a visual solutions agency than a vendor to one.

CAVEAT… in bold caps so no one misses it: This is not to say that you cannot be a specialist in a field within your field and make a living. I’m saying that unless you are at the top of that game, the path is going to get steeper real damn fast.

I’m suggesting, rather strongly, that you build your talent stack, and quickly. Use the power and asset-rich environment of the internet and find the vendors YOU need to operate like a small, one-person agency.

Purely from an economic standpoint, you will have more resources, more channels of income, more clients, and more ways to be invaluable to any client that you have.

When you are invaluable, you are irreplaceable.

We have some choices to make, and market pressures, the economy, and, of course, AI, are going to bring them to our doorstep faster than you can even imagine.

AI will eat the small fish first, those with no skills, talent, or even the desire to acquire them. Then it will hunt the bigger, slower fish - the specialists - who move slowly because they only know one path. Chomp.

The middle fish, the ones that can move and dart from here to there, offering creativity and solutions gained from a multitude of skills and talents, will have more than a fighting chance.

I know some of you want to argue, and a few want to punch me in the nose. But I am betting on the generalists, those with decent talent stacks, to come out on top in these tumultuous times.

And if I am wrong and AI eats ALL the damn fish, I want to be the first to say:

“I, for one, welcome our new digital overlords…”

…

Naww, screw ‘em. Immagonnafind John Connor and we’ll kick some serious robot butt.

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When you are ready, here is how I can help you succeed.

Group Mentorship: a small group of photographers who meet to show images, work on their portfolio, and build their businesses with help from a wonderful group. Lifetime membership for one fee.

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The Creative Class: Expand your toolset and become a one-person visual agency capable of pulling in steady and repeated income. If you have questions, let me know, and I will answer them as fast as possible.
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